Philadelphia — On Tuesday night, about 24 hours before Syracuse was scheduled to play Villanova, Scoop Jardine made a special side trip to mark his final homecoming as a member of the Orange.

The Philadelphia native went to Ishkabibble’s on South Street and got himself a chicken cheesesteak. He also got a haircut from a hometown barber.

But on Wednesday, Jardine had just one thing on his mind.

“The most important thing I was worried about was beating Villanova,” Jardine said. “I wasn’t worried about it being my last game. I didn’t worry about coming out and playing good for my family. I just wanted to beat Villanova.”

On Wednesday night, Jardine made sure his final trip to Philly was a victorious one as he helped the No. 1-ranked Orange to a 79-66 win over Villanova here at the Wells Fargo Center.

After trailing by as many as 23 points, Villanova closed to within 52-41 with 12 minutes left in the game. Jardine re-entered the game and contributed three points and two assists as Syracuse scored nine straight points to salt away the victory.

“When they made a little run there,” SU coach Jim Boeheim said, “he came back and made two big plays for us. He’s done that all year.”

Syracuse improved its record to 18-0, which is just one win shy of the school’s record for most wins to start a season. The 1999-2000 team holds the school record with 19 consecutive wins to start a season. Syracuse also won its first 18 games last season.

Dennis Nett / The Post-StandardSyracuse guard Dion Waiters drives the lane against the Villanova defense in the second half of Wednesday's game in Philadelphia.

The win over Villanova ran Syracuse’s Big East record to 5-0, including three road wins. Villanova, meanwhile, fell to 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

While Jardine, a fifth-year senior, was marking his final visit to Philly, Dion Waiters was simply making his mark.

Waiters, who also grew up here, came off the Syracuse bench to score a team-high 20 points. Waiters, a sophomore guard, scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, helping the Orange to a 43-24 halftime advantage.

“Awesome. Unbelievable,” Waiters said of playing in front of friends and family. “It was just fun to be out there in front of the crowd and family and things like that.”

With just under six minutes left in the game, Waiters stole the ball and streaked ahead of the action for a thunderous dunk. He finished off the slam with a salute toward his personal cheering section in the crowd.

“I just wanted to come out and get a win first and foremost and then give them a little something on the dunks,” Waiters said. “I was able to do it.”

Syracuse went on one of its patented runs to turn a tight game into a romp midway through the first half.

“In the first half, we defended as well as we have the last two games (against) Marquette and Providence,” Boeheim said.

Villanova tried to make a game of it in the second half. The Wildcats turned up their defensive pressure and forced Syracuse into nine second-half turnovers.

“The second half, they started to trap and we didn’t handle it well,” Boeheim said. “We didn’t attack the defense.”

But Jardine drove to the hoop for a bucket and then fed Waiters for a dunk. He dished to C.J. Fair for another basket and then drew a foul to get to the free-throw line.

A few minutes later, Waiters took over with a strong, left-handed drive and then the breakaway dunk and salute.

In the Orange’s post-game locker room, Waiters addressed the media with his trademark Philadelphia Phillies cap on. On the other side of the room, a throng of coaches and players from Neumann-Goretti High School, Jardine’s alma mater, congratulated the Orange senior on the win.

Jardine recalled going to Philadelphia 76ers games and waiting outside the Spectrum for Allen Iverson and other players to get into their cars.

“I’m from South Philly,” Jardine said. “Being able to perform in front of my friends and family that don’t get a chance to come up Syracuse is a great opportunity for me.”